Turu, the Wacky Hen

This animated adventure features a singing chicken that's not only enough to save the movie's struggling circus but also has plenty of appeal for kids. Turu, the Wacky Hen's handful of original musical numbers are feel-good toe-tappers that lift the movie each time they appear. Less compelling are the adaptations of existing songs ("Macarena" is turned into "Turuleca" for a few renditions), but it's all perfectly passable. The heart of the movie comes from the kind Isabel. She is conned into buying Turu, but is encouraging, kind, and patient. When Turu fails to produce any eggs, she instead focuses on Turu's other skills. Watching Isabel's patience and kindness then radiate out across the other characters as they grow their self-esteem, confidence, and kindness is surprisingly moving.

Even when Turu, the Wacky Hen is going off the rails in its final act with its hard to follow and exhausting final fight, the amount of kindness between the characters carries it through. Turu herself has gawky charm but on the whole it's not the most attractive animated movie. The animals look OK, but the human characters have the complexion of streaky bacon, making for a sometimes unsettling watch. Also uncomfortable is the thoughtless depiction of the only two non-White characters. This should have been approached with more awareness. For a movie with such a kind message, harmful thoughtless mistakes leave a disappointing aftertaste.